Berserk Boy is a 16-bit throwback that improves on the likes of Mega Man and Sonic with "Metroidvania elements," and I see why it's got 97% positive Steam reviews

Berserk Boy is an obvious love letter to a wide swathe of the biggest 2D action games of the '90s, but it's not just a derivative throwback. Take the relentless speed of Sonic, the Saturday morning sci-fi vibes of Mega Man, and add in just a dash of Super Metroid and you've got the makings of a very special little platformer.

The big gimmick in Berserk Boy is its combo system, which encourages you to take down enemies at ridiculous speeds. With the basic elemental loadout, you can dash into enemies, dealing damage and creating a lightning chain to any baddies that take more than a single hit. You can then cash in that lightning with a tap of the B button to deal massive damage.

I've only played about 40 minutes of Berserk Boy, but that's been enough time for me to fall in love with the risk-reward balance this system offers. I find myself just booking it through levels, looking at enemies not so much as roadblocks but as little power-ups I can abuse to keep that combo meter going. It's got all the speed of a Sonic game, but honestly seems to do a better job at letting you become an active participant in the speedrunning.

The part I haven't gotten to yet is where you can switch up your powers with various elemental forms - which, naturally, you pick up from defeated bosses, Mega Man-style. The game's structured linearly (so no choosing which robot master to fight next), but you can return to previously cleared levels and reach new locations with new abilities. Those are the "Metroidvania elements" mentioned on the game's Steam page, and while they probably won't scratch the itch if you're looking for a true Metroidvania, they do help make poking around the various corners of the levels feel more rewarding. (Here's a new, gorgeous Metroidvania that might be more your speed for pure search-action fun.)

It looks like I'm not the only one taken with Berserk Boy, either. The Steam reviews are 97% positive, and the average critic review score is 84, as shown on OpenCritic. The bottom line across all these reviews seems to be that Berserk Boy absolutely understands what made those 16-bit games great - as well as what modern design elements could make them better. If you want to check it out for yourself, you can grab Berserk Boy on both PC and Switch.

The best retro games stand the test of time.